Sarah Strout or Sarah Folsom as mother of John York (1749-1828)
I have been dealing with two contradictory theories for the parentage of my 3rd great grandfather Col. John York (1749-1838) for more than 25 years.
There is little question that Col. John York (1749 – 1838 ) resided and died in Bethel, Oxford, Maine and that he was married to Abigail Bean (1750-1827).
My personal conclusion is that the parentage of Col. John York is John York (1722 – 1771) born at Durham, NH to John and Phaltiel Folsom York; and Sarah Folsom (1730 – 1825) born at Exeter to Nathaniel and Susanna Jackson Folsom.
The alternate theory that perplexes me is that Col. John York’s parentage is that of a different John York (1728 – 1771) born at Boston to Abraham and Amiable Blake York; and Sarah Strout (1736 – 1815) born at Pearsontown to George and Bridget Cooley Strout.
Sears notes are in direct opposition to my other sources. (Sears, 1991)
The sources listed below are the basis for all conclusions.Early Families of Standish, Maine by Albert J Sears seems to be the contradiction.
1. (Lapham, 1891) Page 646 states "Three brothers, John, Isaac I. and Job York, sons of John and Sarah York of Standish, came quite early to Bethel".
This would be Colonel John York (1748-1838) and his brothers Isaac Insley and Job York.
2. (Folsom, 1938) Page 86 states that “Sarah Folsom b. abt. 1730 to Nathaniel and Susanna (Jackson) Folsom married John York 7 November 1748 and removed to Standish, Maine”.
3. (Chapman, 1882) Likewise states on page 26 that on 7 November 1748, John York and Sarah Foulsham were married.
This would be the John (1722/3 - 1771 and Sarah (Folsom) York (1730 – 1825), who were the parents of Colonel John York 1748-1838.Or so I think.
4. (Stackpole & Meserve, 1913) States that “John York and Phaltiel Folsom gave birth to John York Jr. on 15 April 1722”.
5. (Folsom, 1938) Records that John York was born to John and Phaltiel Folsom on 15 April 1723.
6. (Sears, 1991) Notes:“John York, the other early settler in Pearsontown bearing the surname of York, was born Dec. 8, 1728 if the assumption is correct that he and Abraham, his brother, were the sons of Abraham and Amiable (Blake) York of Boston.No record of his marriage has been found, unlike his brother Abraham.The given first name of his wife was Sarah and was young enough to have had a son Israel Thorne, Jr., born on Dec. 13, 1773, by her second marriage.According to Dr. Meserve, a great granddaughter of Isaac I York by the name of Mrs. Files stated that Sarah (______) York, her great grandmother, was married when she was only eleven years old and that her first child, Col. John York (John York Jr.) was born when she was twelve years of age, and that she lived to be over 80 years old.Since Isaac I York was 95 years old at the time of his death on Aug. 5, 1844, making his date of birth about 1749, it appears that Col. John York, the first born, must have been born as early as 1748 or perhaps before.On this basis Sarah (_____) York, wife of the Pearsontown settler would have been born about 1736.The identity of this Sarah is given in a bill found in Suffolk Court Records (case 63, 990, vol 398) of Sarah Strout for nursing John Yorke, 18 weeks, dated Apr. 21, 1748.The bill is headed:"Falmouth in Casco Bay, Oct. 1747, a true acompt per me, Sarah Strout."On the reverse side is written Sarah Strout received 38 pounds and the signature is of Sarah York, in a very awkward hand.'This seems to show that Sarah Strout married John York, about the date of 1748.Sarah (Strout) York was perhaps to be one of the younger, if not youngest, child of Capt. George and Bridget (Cooley) Strout of Cape Elizabeth and this a sister of John Strout an early settler of Pearsontown”.
Bibliography
Chapman, J. (1882). A Genealogy of the Folsom Family; John Folsom and his Descendants, 1615-1882. Concord, New Hampshire: The Republican Press Association.
Folsom, E. K. (1938). Genealogy of the Folsom Family a Revised and Extended Edition Incuding English Records 1638-1938. Rutland, VT: The Tuttle Pulblish Campna, Inc.
Lapham, W. B. (1891). History of Bethel, Fomerly Sudbury Canada, Oxford County Maine. Augusta, Maine: Press of the Maine Farmer.
Sears, A. J. (1991). Early Families of Standish, Maine. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books.
Stackpole, E. S., & Meserve, W. S. (1913). History of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire. Durham, NH: Published by Vote of the Town.